Harlem Weed Shop Opposed By Business Group Over Safety Fears

HARLEM, NY — The groundbreaking marijuana retail shop being planned for 125th Street should be snuffed out, according to a neighborhood business group, whose leaders fear it could drive an increase in crime.

The 125th Street Business Improvement District has come out against the planned dispensary at 248 West 125th St., writing a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday that urges her to "reconsider" the site.

Plans for the store were revealed last week by state officials, who said a lease had been signed for the one-story storefront right across from the Apollo Theater. It was the first such shop to be announced since the state began handing out licenses for legal marijuana retailers last month.

But the B.I.D., which has raised alarms about low-level crime and sanitation issues along 125th Street during the pandemic, argues that the dispensary could undo the work done by a multi-agency task force convened by Mayor Eric Adams earlier this year, with an eye toward improving public safety.

"This dispensary will not only derail the progress that we have made, it will also set us back in several areas," reads the letter from B.I.D. president Barbara Askins, which was shared with Patch.

Askins told Patch that she did not know whether cannabis retail shops had been associated with a rise in crime in the 21 other states that have legalized the drug for recreational use. But she predicted that drug dealers, who already peddle their products along the 125th Street corridor, would congregate outside the dispensary and view its visitors as potential customers.

"I think that this place will become another attraction," Askins said.

The effect of legal marijuana on crime is still being studied in other states. Some research has shown no effect, while a 2019 study from CUNY's John Jay College showed that streets near cannabis dispensaries in Denver did see "significantly higher levels of property crime."

Compared to last year, crime has increased slightly in 2022 in the Central Harlem precinct that includes the dispensary site and much of the 125th Street corridor, according to NYPD statistics. Burglaries and larcenies are among the categories seeing an uptick.

"Totally disrespectful"

The state has not identified the operator of the Harlem site, which is between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. and Frederick Douglass boulevards. The 2,800-square-foot space will undergo construction once a final design plan is approved, according to THE CITY, which first reported on it.

A spokesperson for the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, which is issuing the licenses, said in a statement that the office “deeply appreciates feedback from community members and looks forward to continuing discussions with local stakeholders.

“Once open, these legal, regulated businesses will begin operations and make meaningful impacts in their communities,” spokesperson Aaron Ghitelman said.

Hochul’s office did not immediately return a request for comment on the B.I.D.’s letter.

While legal weed is expected to be a moneymaker for New York City — sales are estimated to reach $1.3 billion in its first year — those benefits are outweighed by the potential safety impact, the B.I.D. argues.

Meanwhile, neighborhood leaders say they were taken by surprise when they learned about the planned dispensary through news reports last week. While New York's 2021 legalization act gives community boards the chance to weigh in on dispensaries, as they already do for liquor licenses, the law exempts "premises leased from government agencies" — leading to uncertainty about whether community boards can have any input, THE CITY reported.

Shatic Mitchell, district manager of Central Harlem's Community Board 10, told THE CITY that he had been unaware of the 125th Street location.

C. Virginia Fields, the former Manhattan Borough President who now serves on the B.I.D.'s board of directors, told Patch that she felt insulted by the lack of community consultation.

"It is totally disrespectful," she said.

Have a Harlem news tip? Contact reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.

Related coverage:

• Harlem Getting NY's First Legal Weed Store, State Says
• 125th Street Garbage To Be Fought With City Funding Boost
• Harlem Leaders Sound Alarm Over 125th Street Safety Issues
• 125th Street Improvements Jeopardized As City Ends Cleanup Program